Dilsey's Chapter was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle; and while it may partially do that, I feel like the ending was a tad anticlimactic. Probably because there is no official "ending", since the books timeline is scattered throughout the book. However I will say the Dilsey's chapter was surprisingly unbiased. I was expecting lots of grumbling about how horrible Jason is and how delusional Mrs. Compson is, but the events were presented almost as black and white as Benjy's narration. Part of me suspects that Dilsey wrote like this out of fear of the Compsons, and part of me thinks that she wrote like this because she legitimately does not know any better. She's so unbiased that the narration is almost third person. The only giveaway is the occasional spelling or grammar mistake which is symbolic of Dilsey's little to no education.
Having finished reading The Sound and the Fury, Faulkner presented the narrators in order of complexity. Now, I know what you're saying, "But Benjy's narration was so simple!", but Benjy actually produced the hardest to deceive narration of the bunch. His disability makes it difficult to decipher what is actually going on. Yes, he does present things literally as they appear to him, but you don't get the full story with him narrating. Merely the tip of the iceberg. Quentin gets more complex, as you start to see the true controversy within the Compson family start to arise, but his questionable sanity makes the reader struggle to see what is really happening. Jason's chapter is where things finally start to make sense. Jason is the most "normal" of the bunch, and as such, gets to bully his underprivileged family so that he can do whatever he wants. Then we have Dilsey's chapter, where the narration is almost your normal third-person style writing that you see in most of today's literature.
The effect that this style of narration has on The Sound and the Fury is a submerging effect; where Faulkner slowly sinks you into the plot. First giving you the raw, literal details before moving into the juicy parts that require insight to see. Where many of today's books have a linear plot that is essentially a ride from point A to point B in a straight line, Faulkner's story is a matter of connecting the dots as they are presented to do, and often times, they are presented out of order. Definitely a unique style of writing, but I'm still on the fence about which style I prefer.
In regards to the Macbeth quote, I think this is meant to shed light on what The Sound and the Fury is actually about. It's not about the Compson family; its much, much bigger than that. If Faulkner wanted to write a story about a family, then he would've done so in the normal, linear fashion that is overdone to death in today's literary world. This book is about how a person's perspective can change the story. Instead of just telling us about it, Faulkner chose to demonstrate it by developing these characters and becoming them himself in order to write like them.
Your blog shows such a great understanding of the novel and it's detail as a whole. I love your perspective on Dilsey's chapter and the Macbeth quote. Great work!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the ending of the novel was quite anticlimactic, and I personally noticed that throughout the entirety of the book. You did a great job arguing your points about the way the novel was written and narrated: well done!
ReplyDeleteYou have some Good analysis Ethan. I can see what you're talking about and I like the fact that we had similar observations and concerns. It's well written and you picked up on some things that I didn't and taught me a few things. Good Job Ethan
ReplyDeleteVery valid analysis! I completely agree that the ending was anticlimactic, but it made sense that it would be. I also agree that it came as a surprise when Dilsey's narration was almost entirely unbiased.
ReplyDeleteEthan. I really enjoyed your insightful blog post. Probably my favorite part was when you mentioned why Dilsey wrote the blog. I found it interesting how you mentoned she was unbiased because she was in fear of the Compsons. Reflecting on that, Dilsey must have definitely been scared of them- I never though of that before. Now I wish I could re read the chapter. Your point about Faulkner and the MacBeth quote was also interesting. It was definitely written that way for an important reason. Faulkner wrote it to signify nothing for an important reason and to show the changing South. I definitely enjoyed your blog post and it gave me insight about the book. Thanks and what a well written blog!!!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very interesting how you presented Dilsey's connection with the Compsons and how she was scared of them. Really helped me better understand the book as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very interesting how you presented Dilsey's connection with the Compsons and how she was scared of them. Really helped me better understand the book as a whole.
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